Truck driver's body recovered from Arthur's Pass wreck

A truck driver died this week in the rough roads near Arthur's Pass village and Otira Gorge. File photo / Simon Baker

The body of a truck driver was recovered this afternoon from the wreckage of his truck and trailer unit which crashed on the Otira Highway between Arthurs Pass and Greymouth yesterday.

Police said the dead man was Piki Lewis Jones, 34, from Napier.

Constable Brett Currie, of Greymouth, said the wreckage of the trailer unit was able to be lifted this afternoon enabling Fire Service personnel to cut into cab and remove Mr Jones' body.

Mr Jones' body had been trapped in the wrecked cab since early yesterday morning, after his truck and trailer left the road and plunged down a bank.

Police had earlier planned to use a large crane taken from Christchurch at the crash, on the Otira Highway between Arthur's Pass and Greymouth.

It was to drag the wreckage off the body of the driver, but police said that proved "problematic".

Mr Jones was thought to have died instantly when his rig ran into the back of another truck, then plunged over a steep bank to the gorge floor.

Police and emergency services used ropes to climb down to the wreckage where they found the dead driver trapped in the cab with the mangled wreckage of the truck on top of him.

The road remained open overnight but a police guard was at the scene.

Mr Currie said police used a digger to cut an access path down the bank, moving rocks "the size of small cars", to reach the wreckage.

Greymouth police have asked for witnesses who were travelling on State Highway 73 about 6.30am yesterday.

- NZPA